Chemical Engineering with Environmental Engineering including an Industrial Year MEng

This module provides a basic understanding of geology and includes topics such as:

• introduction to the main rock types and minerals
• rock forming processes
• the composition of the Earth
• geological structures
• natural hazards including volcanism and earthquakes
• geological map interpretation

This module introduces the algebra of complex numbers to provide a key mathematical tool for analysing linear mathematical and engineering problems. It introduces the complexity of general (large) systems of equations and their study using matrix techniques. You'll also study the calculus of a single variable to develop techniques used in the analysis of engineering problems. Topics include:

• algebra of complex numbers
• matrix algebra and its applications to systems of equations and eigenvalue problems
• functions and their properties
• advanced differential and integral calculus of one variable

This module aims to provide you with an understanding of the fundamental material and energy balances that underpin process engineering. You'll study material balances incuding:

• once-through and recycle systems
• flowsheets for continuous processes
• batch processes
• steady and unsteady state operation
• reacting and non-reacting systems
• energy balances
• combustion calculations
• heat balances in chemical and physical systems
• enthalpy/composition diagrams

You'll spend three hours in lectures and have regular practical workshops for this module.

This module is an introduction to chemical thermodynamics and its applications to chemical, vapour/liquid/liquid and solid/liquid equilibria, and correlation and prediction of data. You'll spend two hours in lectures and one hour in a practical session per week studying for this module.

You will learn techniques for solving selected classes of ordinary differential equations (ODEs) relevant to the analysis of engineering topics. This module also provides the basic calculus to help analyse engineering problems in two or three dimensions and special solutions of partial differential equations relevant to engineering applications. You will spend around three hours per week in lectures and workshops.

This module provides an introduction to the properties of engineering materials including topics such as:

• chemical bonding and structure
• mechanical properties
• elasticity
• viscoelasticity
• creep
• fatigue
• fracture

The module also provides elements of mechanical and structural design using engineering materials. You'll spend three hours in lectures per week studying for this module.

Content for this module will be confirmed later in 2022 - please keep checking back on this page.

This module is the study of the flow of fluids through beds of particles.

You'll study areas including:

• simultaneous flow of gas and liquid through packed columns dynamics of a single particle
• terminal velocity
• solid/liquid separation processes
• solid/centrifugal separations particle size reduction
• drops and bubbles; conveying

You'll spend three hours in lectures and three hours in practical sessions per week.

The module is divided into two sections: numerical techniques for ordinary differential equations and probability theory and introductory statistical inference. The module aims to develop the foundations of probability theory and to apply large sample statistics within an engineering context. You’ll spend one hour in lectures and two hours in workshops per week.

This module establishes the principles of mass transfer separation processes, with a focus on binary distillation, gas absorption/stripping and drying. Every week you’ll have a two-hour lecture and a one-hour tutorial. You’ll also have regular practical workshops.

This module will help you develop the knowledge and skills needed for the succesful management of waste. Increasingly, waste is viewed as a valuable resource that must be managed and utilised effectively to minimise environmental impact. The first part of the module introduces you to conventional waste management practices. You'll study the development of legislation and how directives from the European Union impact on our daily lives. 

Current waste treatment techniques and technologies will be studied:

• biological methods (composting, anaerobic digestion)
• thermal methods (energy from waste, gasification, pyrolysis)
• mechanical biological treatment and landfilling

Techniques and approaches for the recovery and recycling of waste products will also be a core component. You'll explore how successful waste/resource recovery schemes are increasing due to the application and adaptation of technology from other industries. You'll also analyse case studies on topical aspects such as materials recovery and reprocessing of specific waste streams. Teaching is delivered through three hours of lectures each week.

This module aims to provide an in depth knowledge of heat, mass and momentum transport that is necessary in assessing, analysing and developing chemical, biochemical and environmental processes.

Furthermore, this module fills the gap between first year transport phenomena and the fourth year CFD module while introducing the multi-physics aspect of the discipline. You’ll spend three hours in lectures and three hours in practicals each week studying for this module.

This module will develop your knowledge and understanding of air pollution problems. It includes a categorisation of the types of natural and anthropogenic air pollution sources, sinks, and the effects that air pollutants may produce within natural and manmade environments.

You’ll learn about the processes of selection and design of pollutant monitoring and control technologies that may be applied to control atmospheric emissions from industrial processes.

Delivery

Assessment method

This is a group design project involving the preparation of heat and mass balances and flow sheets for a particular process scheme and the detailed design of certain important plant items. A study of the control, operational, safety, environmental and economic aspects will be included. You will also gain an appreciation of project and financial planning.

You’ll spend one hour in a tutorial and make use of self-study sessions each week studying for this module.

In this module you’ll look in detail at the process of mass transfer in multi-component separation equipment and multicomponent separation processes. You’ll learn principles of design for distillation and absorption columns and use computer applications. You’ll spend two hours in lectures and one hour in workshops per week studying for this module.

This module aims to provide you with a basis for understanding the dynamic behaviour of a process system and the options available for its safe single loop control. It aims to help you develop an appreciation of:

• the dynamic behaviour of processes
• effects of disturbances and single loop controllers
• the features and constraints on choice of conventional process control instruments and equipment
• a basis for process analysis and design using dynamic process models and dynamic simulation

You'll spend two hours in lectures and two hours in computing sessions every week.

In this module you'll be given a laboratory-based problem and you'll need to plan experiments to collect the data required to solve the problem. You'll work in groups but write individual reports covering process assessment, experimental procedure and the description and discussion of the experimental results.

By solving a laboratory-based problem, you should gain the confidence in making decisions in a technical/scientific environment and adopt a rational, efficient approach to problem solving. You'll also become more familiar with the operation of commonly-encountered chemical engineering equipment and improve your skills in collecting, analysing and interpreting experimental data.

This module is an introduction to steady-state process simulation by computer. You'll use a commercial package in a design environment and will develop an understanding of the benefits and drawbacks of such tools. You’ll spend one hour in lectures and three hours in practicals per week.

This section is made up of eight topics, which are detailed below.  Each topic covers a fundamental principle in reactor design, also how students can combine those principles to derive/optimise the reactor design equations. The textbook Fogler, H. Scott "Elements of chemical reaction engineering", 4th ed., Prentice Hall, 2005 is closely followed. The main topics are:

• mole balances
• conversion and reactor sizing
• rate laws and stoichiometry
• collection and analysis of rate data
• isothermal reactor design
• multiple reactions
• steady-state non-isothermal reactor design
• catalysis and catalytic reactors

This module will introduce you to a range of knowledge and skills applicable to water and wastewater treatment. You'll gain an understanding in water availability, sources of pollution and the legislative framework for water quality from an EU perspective.

Municipal water and wastewater treatment processes will be covered, focusing on key unit processes including sedimentation, filtration and disinfection. You’ll spend three hours per week studying for this module. Teaching is also complemented by site visits.

In this module, you’ll undertake a combined design and research project in a team of two to four students. In addition, you’ll gain detailed knowledge in the specific topic of study.

The aim is for you to gain skills in planning, executing and reporting on an individual research study thereby developing their powers of analysis, independence and critical judgement. You’ll spend one hour in tutorials and make use of group-study sessions each week studying for this module.

The module is designed to give you experience of advanced software applications in chemical engineering, and their potential application to research projects. You will learn how to use advanced features of HYSYS, including:

• the optimiser for (a) a two-stage compressor (b) an economic assessment of a refrigeration process
• the dynamics package to simulate (a) fluid flow in tanks in series (b) the control of a separator drum

You’ll spend three hours per week in computing sessions.

The intent of this module is to help the student master advanced concepts in chemical reaction engineering. You’ll study topics such as: advanced reactor design; chemical reaction mechanisms and rate theories, transport effects in reactive systems, and rate expressions for complex and heterogeneous catalytic reaction system. You’ll spend three hours in lectures per week.

This module covers:

• the formation and location of petroleum hydrocarbon reserves
• drilling and completion engineering including well control techniques
• basic reservoir physics and evaluation
• production management and enhancement
• primary separation

You’ll spend two hours in lectures every week.

This module will develop your knowledge and understanding of air pollution problems. It includes a categorisation of the types of natural and anthropogenic air pollution sources, sinks, and the effects that air pollutants may produce within natural and manmade environments.

You’ll learn about the processes of selection and design of pollutant monitoring and control technologies that may be applied to control atmospheric emissions from industrial processes.

Delivery

Assessment method

In this module you’ll develop an advanced understanding of fluid mechanics. You’ll use computational methods in fluid mechanics to further understand how techniques are applied to real fluid engineering problems. For example, you’ll study fluid/structure interactions, air flow, channel flow and water wave propagation. You’ll spend between two and four hours in lectures and two hours in computing sessions each week.

This module develops a risk based framework for the assessment of contaminated land based on the characterization and modelling of contaminant sources, pathways and receptors and the remediation of such linkages.

Case studies are used to illustrate the application of this approach, the typical uncertainties and the management of risk. A range of physical, biological, chemical and thermal in-situ and ex-situ remediation technologies are covered. The application of these technologies is demonstrated by case studies including design studies based on the emerging concept of sustainable remediation.

This module covers the following:

• Risk assessment principles (source, pathway, receptor) including conceptual frameworks, Greenleaves III, risk based regulation and environmental protection
• Risk characterisation, hazard identification, consequences, significance, handling uncertainty
• Tools and techniques: Qualitative risk assessment. Quantitative risk assessment, ie hands-on risk assessment modelling
• Risk management
• Fate and transport of contaminants, speciation of contaminants, environmental partitioning (fugacity)
• Health impact assessment: Public health, occupational health studies, toxicology, perception, exposure, causality, odds ratios, epidemiological studies, scientific evidence for landfill versus energy from waste (comparative assessment), odour

This module will identify the industrial occurrence of the simultaneous flow of more than one phase and highlight the implications for design. It will establish the principles of flow and heat transfer in gas/liquid systems and the principles of design methods. You’ll spend three hours in lectures per week.

The following topics are covered:

• fossil fuels, occurrence, use and world-wide availability
• fossil power generation, conventional and advanced technologies
• current environmental/climate change issues in power generation using fossil fuels
• emission problems and reduction technologies
• climate-forcing carbon emissions and fossil energy de-carbonisation
• co-firing of fossil fuels and biomass
• carbon (CO2) capture and storage (CCS)

The challenges in tackling climate change call for a sustainable re-structuring of our energy infrastructure, particularly the fossil fuel fired power generation sector. The primary aim of this module is to address the major issues and challenges facing the power generation sector using fossil fuels. This will be related to emissions problems and their abatement technologies and will address both conventional and advanced power generation technologies.

There will be a particular focus on various aspects of CCS technologies and their application in a range of fossil energy sectors, from the technical and deployment status of CCS to related financial and environmental challenges and opportunities. You’ll have two hours of lectures a week for this module.

Delivery

Assessment method

This module develops the student's ability in directed group work to synthesising and designing sustainable chemical processes.

The group project will involve teams of three to four students. Two projects covering flow-sheet synthesis and resource conservation will be undertaken.

Delivery

Assessment method

This module will concentrate on water treatment technologies covering those applicable to both the treatment of wastewater and the treatment of water for potable (drinking water) use. The first part of the module will review current practice and scientific principles in water treatment.

Case Studies across the water industry will be utilised to demonstrate problems and potential solutions and gain an understanding of design considerations and operation of water treatment processes. You’ll study emerging issues in water treatment and how developing technologies are addressing them. Guest speakers from industry and two site visits will support the module delivery. You’ll spend three hours in lectures per week.